A very good use for ziplock bags

Do you have a favorite way to start your day? As you know over the past few months my number one go-to first thing in the morning has been cantaloupe. I still love me some cantaloupe, but recently grapes have been making their way to the top of the obsession list. It’s a good thing the grapes at Stop n Shop are absolutely perfect right now.

I had lunch with my friend Grace who is 30 weeks pregnant and sporting the most adorable bump you ever did see. We went to “The Carts” (a bunch of awesome food carts on Cedar Street in New Haven). Connecticut pals: if you haven’t checked out the carts, you definitely should! It’s a great way to get a yummy lunch for cheap (usually $6 for a decent portion) –> just be warned, the carts only take cash!

The weather this week has been gorgeous so it was nice to get outside and soak in the lovely Spring weather. My favorite Thai cart was not present so I went to a different Thai cart… which made for a decent meal but also reminded me why my favorite cart is my favorite. Leftovers from lunch made an appearance for dinner, topped with black beans from our book club’s quesadilla night. 🙂

And a few of these bad boys for dessert. 🙂 Rolos make for a pretty stellar evening snack, especially while catching up on this week’s This is Us episode. I have been hooked on this show since it first came out and I am hoping it has a good long run, because I’m not going to be ready to say goodbye to it anytime soon. Unless there is a spin-off focusing on Randall and Beth because they are 100% my favorite characters!

More grapes for breakfast this morning. It’s interesting, so far my cravings have felt more like “hmm that sounds really good”, as opposed to urgent desperate needs (which is what I always thought pregnancy cravings were like). If for some reason we could not get a hold of grapes or cantaloupe, I would be disappointed but totally fine.

I went to the library to return my books and check out new ones (including our next book club read)… but that pregnancy brain must be hitting because I accidentally grabbed a book I own (Beneath a Scarlet Sky <– really good!) and forgot the actual library book (The Paying Guests) at home.

It didn’t take long to locate the next Book Club book: Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson! The description sounds interesting and I’m looking forward to getting into it. I’ve actually had my eye on this book for a few years now but haven’t had the chance to read it until now. I hope it’s a good one 🙂

It was another gorgeous day (I love this balmy weather!) so after work Bernice and I went on a hike at the West Rock State Park. It was my first time checking out the trails here and I loved it –> so beautiful and peaceful. I will definitely be back again soon 🙂

We hiked up to the top of one of the hills –> it felt incredible to be outside and get that heart rate going a little bit. I definitely get winded quicker these days so we took it slow on the steeper inclines. It didn’t take long for us to get warm and shed our jackets – felt amazing to not wear a jacket! There were a few people with dogs off-leash which gave Bernice a fright (she is very allergic). I remember one time when I was out running and a dog off-leash suddenly came SPRINTING at me. It looked quite menacing and I thought for sure I was done for. The owner who was a ways behind the dog yelled “he’s friendly” in efforts to reassure me but it was still pretty freaky. I love dogs but being chased by one that looked like it wanted to take a chunk out of my leg sure got my heart racing.

Bernice and I then took the trail that goes all the way around the lake. It made for a very scenic walk. I’m sure this lake is even prettier in the spring and summer when everything is green. I can’t wait for the leaves to come back and flowers to bloom again. Feeling very ready for Spring!

A burger and fries for dinner –> my only source of protein for the day. It was a very good burger indeed. After working up an appetite from hiking (and talking a lot hah), I scarfed it right down. Side note: does anyone else really dislike the smell of post-burger fingers? It has always been the absolute worst to me.

And in the evening, some hot chocolate happened while getting a bit of work done before my smallgroup came over. I wondered if my love for hot chocolate would dissipate when it started to warm up but looks like it’s sticking around for a while longer. 🙂

A few smallgroup ladies 🙂

As a group, we try to do something related to community service at least once a quarter. Last quarter we volunteered at a homeless shelter. This time around we each brought supplies and together we packed them into large ziplock bags (each bag had one of each –> toothbrush, toothpaste, applesauce, small bottle of water, clif bar, deodorant, lotion, shampoo, mini first aid kit, list of local homeless shelters, a letter sharing the gospel, some coins/change and some other stuff that I can’t remember). By the end we had 20 stuffed bags! We can keep these bags in our cars to give to homeless people in need.

Afterwards we did our usual smallgroup thing and then later on a few of us hung out chatting for a while. I really appreciate each of these amazing people.

We’re getting a nor’easter today (no snow, but lots of rain and wind) so I will be listening to the raindrops come down. I always thought nor’easters were snowstorms but the weatherguy said they can be rainstorms too. Who knew! Fingers crossed that after all this rain we’ll have clear skies on Saturday and Sunday.

That’s it from me for now, I hope you have an amazing weekend! 🙂

Are you getting any of the nor’easter rain today? What do you have planned for the weekend? What are you most looking forward to about Spring?

i agree, i’d pick rain over snow right about now too. I read the first chapter of Ten Thousand Saints last night and so far so good… hopefully it continues on that way! 🙂 Have an amazing weekend Maureen!

Your small group is awesome! I must say one of the main things I miss about being a church member was the fellowship and how much easier it was to get involved in various projects. I do enjoy being a member of Citizens Climate Lobby but as we are primarily focused on one goal (getting Congress to pass legislation to curb carbon emissions) we don’t really have the diversity in our gatherings/projects.

I think of Nor’easters as snow as well. We had rain overnight but today is just a lot of strong winds; the fence in our backyard is shaking at times! Here’s hoping it calms down before my 5k tomorrow morning!

I really appreciate that about our smallgroup – I agree, the felowship and various projects have been nice. The Citizens Climate Lobby sounds pretty great too. The rain is letting up here but the wind is sticking around. I hope it doesn’t bring down any trees! Fingers crossed for calm clear skies after the storm passes. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 🙂

Great idea! My daughter and I volunteered at a food pantry when she was in elementary school. She coordinated a “birthday bag” drive after seeing how some families could not afford cake and decorations. We collected gift bags, streamers, balloons, candles, cards, cake mix, frosting etc. and put them in the gift bag to hand out at the food pantry. It was great!